Automatic grain-weigher



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLIS A. HOOVER, OF \VES" MILTON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'TO JOHN ii, FOUTS, OF TROY, OHIO.

AUTOMATIC GRAIN-WEIGHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,326, dated August 20, 1889.

Application filed November 26,1883. Serial No. 291,852. (No model.)

To (LZZ [07mm 2315 nutty concern:

ie it. known that I, ELLIS A. HOOVER, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vest Milton, in the county of Miami and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Grain-\Veighers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the ac companying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the invention set forth in Letters Patent No. 389,512), bearing date September 11, 1888, for improvement in automatic grain-weighers, the several features of which will be fully hereinafter set forth. 7

The objects of my invention are, first, to partially shut oil the tlow through the chute by a supplementary cut-0ft operated by the grain as it accumulates in the receptacle; second, to so arrange the arresting-lug of the lower or supplementary vessel as to prevent its being engaged by the arm of the eti'luent valve only at the proper point to arrest its movement in closing the receptacle. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an end view of the automatic weigher with parts cut away. Fig. 2 is aside viewot the same with some of the parts omitted.

Like letters designate like parts in the two views.

The quadrangular frame A is adapted to support the operative parts. To the cross piece at the top of the frame is attached the chute C, which is central over the receptacle 1%, and the opening in the bottom of the former is directly over the opening of the latter. A spout arranged directly over the chute conveys the grain to the same. On pins in the chute is supported the cut-elf valve 1). This valve, when in a vertical position, covers the opening in the bottom of the chute; but the coni'iter-weight d on the forked arm (7 of said valve holds the same to one side against an arrestinglng. To the pin of the chute is suspended the supplementary cutoff valve L,

which from its own weight would swing into vertical position, but is held to one side, so as not to obstruct the tlow of the grain through the chute by the curved arm 92 engaging the plate m, which is suspended on the pivots q in the sides of the receptacle 1 and which nearly fills the same laterally. To maintain the swinging plate at in a vertical position, and thereby counteract the weight of the supplementary cut-oil"; valve, the weight 0 is attached to the back of the same. As the grain accumulates in the receptacle, the lower end of the plate is swung back against the lug p. This movement carries the valve forward, so as to partially close the oriiice of the chute. The arresting-lug t on the chute maybe set to cut off one half of the flow or any other portion of the same. The object is to diminish the flow just before the receptacle receives its complement of grain, and thereby produces better results than if the flow continued undiminished until the descent of the receptacle when loaded.

B is a hollow metallic vessel having a central opening in the top, an opening in the right under side which is closed by valve F, and pivots 0', riveted to the sides, and which rest in notches of the lever II. This lever orheam is forked and is supported on the 'i'ulcrums U, attached to the frame, and on the outer end is attached the heavy weight I, which is a countcrpoise to the receptacle and its contents. An arresting-arm is attached to the frame beneath the beam to prevent the same descending below a horizontal position. The etlluent valve F is pivoted in the bearing 3 on the receptacle, and to the arm is jointed the rod G, which serves the double purpose, that of closing the cut-off valve and a counter-weight to cause the valve to close rapidly when released.

E is a catch to hold the effluent valve closed, and thereby prevent any escape of grain from the receptacle. On this catch a sufficient weight is used on its horizontal arm to keep the lower end against the ettluent valve. On the face of the same are two notches. first holds the said valve against the receptacle and the other arrests the movement of the same. The catch is disengaged by the arm striking a cross-piecc of the frame as the re- The ' is disengaged, and the valve F opens.

ceptacle descends. The receptacle J is supported on pivots on the side posts of the frame, and on the pivotal side is attached the arm K, to which a weight is attached to maintain the said receptacle in a horizontal position, and to the top of this arm is the curvedlug a. On the sides of this receptacle are. lugs s, which engage the cross-pieces, and thereby prevent said receptacle from rising above a horizontal position, and a similar lug above the cross-piece maybe used to arrest its downward movement when loaded with grain. The orifice in the bottom of the lower receptacle is of smaller area than that of the upper, and consequently during the free discharge from the upper to the lower remains depressed by an accumulation within the same.

The curved lug u remains above the arm of the effluent valve when the same is in ahorizontal position. The outer circular dotted line shows the movement of the end of the arm when disengaged, and the inner dotted line shows the same when the vessel is slightly depressed. The dotted curved line at theend of the lug shows the movement of the same when the lower receptacle is depressed, thus showing that the effluent valve-arm would pass the said lug in its ascent and would engage the same in its descent and remain so engaged, thus preventing the closing of the upper receptacle until the lower had discharged its load and was approaching a horizontal position.

The operation is thus: The grain flowing through the chute O fills the receptacle until the load is greater than the weight I, and as the same is nearly filled the pivotal plate in said receptacle is swung backward by the action of the grain, and thereby effects a partial closing of said chute and therefore lessening the flow, the receptacle drops, the catch This carries the rod G upward, and, engaging the cut-off valve D, the flow through the chute is arrested. This movement of the cut-off valve carries back with it the supplementary cut-0E L,'a11d leaves the chute unobstructed for the subsequent operation, the grain falling into the receptacle J, from which it issues less rapidly thanthe flow from the upper receptacle. As a consequence the outer end descends and locks the efilnent valve, as before specified. The flow through the chute cannot be resu m ed until the lower vessel is so discharged that it resumes a horizontal position, thus releasing the efliuent valve that it may close, and the influcnt valve opens as the same instant, and the operation is repeated automatically.

I am aware that a plate suspended on pivots in a weighing-receptacle of an automatic grain-weigher has been used to operateacutoff valve to arrest partially the flow of grain to said receptacle, and I therefore claim only the combination as herein set forth.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

The combination, in an automatic grainweigher, of the auxiliary or partial cut-off valve L, cut-off valve D, both of said valves being centrally pivoted to the sides of the chute, the pivotal plate m, suspended in the weighing-receptacle, and the curved arm n of said cut-off valve L to engage the top of said plate, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affixiny signature in presence of two witnesses.

ELLIS A. HOOVER.

Vitnesses:

B. PICKERING, M. J. SWADENED. 

